Arch-support.



M, SANTELLA. ARCH SUPPORT. APPILICATION' may MAB. 1. 191 I,

Patented Feb. 5, 1918.

v IN VENT:

MICHEL/\NGELD E WTELL A to other parts of MICHELANGELO' SANTEIJLA", or MARLBoRo, MASSACHUSETTS.

ARCH-SUPPORT.

To all whom ifmayconcerfir Be it known that I, MmHELANeELo SAN- TELLA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marlboro, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have 1n- Vented new and useful Improvements in Arch-Supports, of which the following is a specification. 7 i

The present invention relates to supports adapted to be used in footwear to support the arches of the feet of persons suffering from fiat foot or fallen arches. The object of the invention is to so form or construct the spring of the support that free resilient yielding of different parts of the arch is permitted without withdrawing or weakening the strength of the support which is given the instep, and particularly the inside part thereof. This result is secured by forming the forwardpart of the spring with or as a series of semi-independent tongues, each of which is springy and is adapted to yield resiliently of the others.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of an arch support embodying my invention. 7

Fig. 2 is an under plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a cross section on line i-4: of Fig. 1.

a represents what may be called the body of the support. Such body may be of any desired construction, ordinary or otherwise. I have found it satisfactory to make the same of a piece of conform to the bottom of the human foot from the heel to a point near the ball thereof, and skived at its edges to fit smoothly inside of a shoe. 6 is a spring Which is at tached by rivets d or other fastening means to the body a near the heel end thereof. It is of such form, both in outline and in transverse and longitudinal curvature as to support the weak or broken arch of a foot in the desired manner. That part which lies under the arch at the inside of the foot is widened and turned up sharply as indicated at 0 in Figs. 2 and 4, this being a common construction in arch supports.

From the forward end of the spring or spring plate 6 are formed deep cuts f, g which the plate.

Two such cuts are shown here,

Specification of Letters Patent.

independently sole leather shaped to tudinally beneath extend well toward'the heel end of Patented Feb. 5,1918.

Application filed-March 1, 1917? SeriaINb;151,6?%i

or with more than two if desired, according ends and are therefore adapted to bend independently of one another, but are rigidly connected together at their rear ends. The function of these tongues is to allow different parts of the support to yield independently of one another. That tongue or portion of the spring which underlies the inner side of the foot is wider than the other tongues, and is additionally stiffened by the turned up lip; this part or tongue is therefore less yielding than the others.

As a result of the construction thus described the outer ancl intermediate parts of the spring are adapted to yield in case the Weight of the wearer is concentrated on these parts either as a result of standing on uneven ground or otherwise, whereby the outer part of the foot may descend far enough relatively to the portion of the plate which bears against the inner side of the arch, to exert the necessary and desirable pressure on that part of the foot. This is a feature of great advantage over the arch supports as heretofore made, since it causes the support to act uniformly on the inner part of the arch at all times.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An instep support having a relatively rigid portion to underlie the inner side of the instep and a relatively yieldable spring metal portion separate from the first portion to underlie the outer side of the instep.

2. An arch support comprising a body and a spring plate secured adjacent at its heel end to the body, the forward end of the spring plate being free of the bodyand being divided into a plurality of semi-independent spring tongues which extend longithe instep of the wearer. 3. An lnstep support comprising essen- V tially a plate shaped to give support to a fallen instep, and having deep slots extend ing rearwardly from its forward end nearly to its heel end, which divide the part of the plate which underlies the instep of the wearer into a plurality of independently yieldable tongues.

4:. An instep support having its forward end divided into semi-independent tongues, that portion or tongue which is adapted to underlie the inner side ofthe instep being relatively stifi and that portion which underlies the outer part of the instep being relatively more flexible and yielding than the first named portion, being thereby adapted to yield When the bottom of the wearers shoe is otherwise than perpendicular to the line of thrust of the Wearers foot, the inner Copies 01' this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

portion of the support being this caused to maintain upward thrust of the desired intensity against the doWnWard pressure of the Wearers foot.

In testimony whereof I have afiiXed my signature.

MIOHELANGELO SANTELLA.

Washington, D. C. 

